[FireBug]

Dear friends, quick question.. my BMW X3 30i arrived at the yard today, i did the inspection and upon further scrutiny of the documents, it came to light that the car is manufactured in January 2020. Its already November , so 10 months have passed. It could be because of Corona but my question is.. is this normal for premium brands ? what are my options ? I thought 6 months was kind of normal but this is 10 and i am worried about the tyres and battery. Maybe my worries are misplaced, do share your views please. The car is due for registration tomorrow

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by FireBug

my BMW X3 30i arrived at the yard today, car is manufactured in January 2020.

It's Ok. BMW will launch the cars at high prices, sit over the inventories and than do discounts. That's the usual way for them. The only car that is sold as soon as it's produced is the X7. I have personally picked even older cars from them, brand new. Your warranty will start from date of invoicing. So, I won't be bothered too much. Just ensure that the manufacturing is 2020 as this affects re-sales in case it's from 2019 production.

[FireBug]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

It's Ok. BMW will launch the cars at high prices, sit over the inventories and than do discounts. That's the usual way for them. The only car that is sold as soon as it's produced is the X7. I have personally picked even older cars from them, brand new. Your warranty will start from date of invoicing. So, I won't be bothered too much. Just ensure that the manufacturing is 2020 as this affects re-sales in case it's from 2019 production.

Thank you so much Turbanator for that quick response. That makes me feel much better. Yes, the showroom staff have confirmed that its made in 2020.

Thanks once again.

[CosmicWizard]

Originally Posted by pk1972

Shubham - did you book your X3? What discounts are you getting in BLR? I am planning to for one by end of the year / early next year.

Hi pk1972, I too am in the market for an X3 by year end or early next year and based in BLR as well. Maybe we can pool up and squeeze some extra? Looking at the threads, it doesn't seem there are any good discounts on BMWs right now so a little wait and watch is definitely in order. Please let me know how to contact you, am new to BHP and still haven't figured out how to DM.

[tictactoe]

So friends, extensively TD'ed entire range of BMW stable once again - and to the point of driving my sales guy crazy. Finally I decided neither on X3 or X4 but went for the 520d. I would have really loved the 530D or the X4 30d. But they were like 8L above my strech budget.

Overall the handling and comfort of 520d was far better than both the SAV's. Having driven SUVs for last ten years (mahindra) - not having body roll was a very welcome change. While the body roll in X3 and X4 is minimal - it's still noticeable. My primary use is highway / city drive and 4 wheel drive wasn't requirement. The high stance and GC was something that was making me look for crossovers. A softer suspension and better handling decided it for me. Somehow I also felt that 520d was peppier than X3 with the same engine. Im not sure if actually that's the case or if it was more of self justification

While I will miss the high stance, Im sure the fun factor in driving a sedan will more than make up for it. I'm super happy now to own my first German

[skhattar]

Congrats tictactoe. I have been driving a 520 f10 since March 2017. Its really a fun, comfortable and reliable machine. The irony is that I was considering a SUV, once I change this - X4 perhaps. Whereas, you moved to a Sedan! Heart wants to stick to a sedan but the mind says move to a SUV. Go figure!

[pk1972]

Originally Posted by CosmicWizard

Hi pk1972, I too am in the market for an X3 by year end or early next year and based in BLR as well. Maybe we can pool up and squeeze some extra? Looking at the threads, it doesn't seem there are any good discounts on BMWs right now so a little wait and watch is definitely in order. Please let me know how to contact you, am new to BHP and still haven't figured out how to DM.

Cosmic - thanks for the message. I pushed out my plan by few months, so probably post March is when I will start looking again. It does look like GLC is not in stock and not much discounts atleast in Bengaluru.

[sircar]

I had the same dilemma of 20d or 30i when I started looking out for my first luxury vehicle around the beginning of December last year.

Having done quite a bit of research over the web and having read all the posts in this thread, I was still undecided when I went for a test drive of the X3. As is the norm these days the OSL Prestige BMW dealer at Kolkata had only the diesel 20d for test drive and I loved it. However, the dealer was not willing to pass on any major discounts on the 20d. In fact I was informed that they did not have any more 20d in stock and if I wanted a diesel I will have to book it now and get delvery from the first lot of 2021 units. That's when I started seriously considering the 30i. On paper the power was significantly higher at 252hp for the 30i compared to 190hp for the 20d, whereas the torque was slightly lower at 350Nm compared to the 400Nm for the 20d. All the reviews that I read of the 30i, especially those from US, UK and Australia seem to imply that the 30i was a gem to drive. So 30i it was for me.

The dealer gave me two colour options - white with biege interiors and terra brown metallic with biege interiors. I went for the brown with biege, booked it on 18th December. The dealer gave me a good enough discount (at least I believe so). My onroad price was 60.75 lakhs including 4 years BSI and BRI packages.

Then started the long and anxious wait as he car needed to be transported from BMW warehouse at Pune and for some reasons BMW was unwilling to transport just one car and they had to wait till at least 6 cars were loaded for the trailer to start fro Pune. Ultimately I got delivery of the car on 15th January. Here are some pictures of the new baby in my family. I must say, I like the colour.

[FireBug]

Originally Posted by sircar

I had the same dilemma of 20d or 30i when I started looking out for my first luxury vehicle around the beginning of December last year. Having done quite a bit of research over the web and having read all the posts in this thread, I was still undecided when I went for a test drive of the X3. As is the norm these days the OSL Prestige BMW dealer at Kolkata had only the diesel 20d for test drive and I loved it. However, the dealer was not willing to pass on any major discounts on the 20d. In fact I was informed that they did not have any more 20d in stock and if I wanted a diesel I will have to book it now and get delvery from the first lot of 2021 units. That's when I started seriously considering the 30i. On paper the power was significantly higher at 252hp for the 30i compared to 190hp for the 20d, whereas the torque was slightly lower at 350Nm compared to the 400Nm for the 20d. All the reviews that I read of the 30i, especially those from US, UK and Australia seem to imply that the 30i was a gem to drive. So 30i it was for me.

The dealer gave me two colour options - white with biege interiors and terra brown metallic with biege interiors. I went for the brown with biege, booked it on 18th December. The dealer gave me a good enough discount (at least I believe so). My onroad price was 60.75 lakhs including 4 years BSI and BRI packages.
Then started the long and anxious wait as he car needed to be transported from BMW warehouse at Pune and for some reasons BMW was unwilling to transport just one car and they had to wait till at least 6 cars were loaded for the trailer to start fro Pune. Ultimately I got delivery of the car on 15th January. Here are some pictures of the new baby in my family. I must say, I like the colour.

Congratulations on your new car. Great choice !!. I too got a 30i in November and in my case, while the dealer didn't have a 30i to test drive, i was lucky enough to drive one which my friend owned and so it was an easy choice for me.

Not trying to steal your limelight , but here are a few pics from when I got it and when it went for Ceramic Coating.







Safe driving mate !!

[sircar]

Congrats Firebug. The car looks stunning especially after the ceramic coating. Somehow I feel the darker shades look better in a BMW. I adored the Imperial Blue on the 5 series and I love the terra brown on my car as well.

However, looks and colour shades are rather subjective and I am sure there are other avid owners who will vouch for the white and lighter shades.

I wanted to take this opportunity to describe my experience with the X3 xdrive 30i over the last two weeks that I had owned and driven this.

I had read in so many reviews that inspite of the size of the car, it quite shrinks around the driver. I did not quite understand that till I drove this for some time. I was a bit nervous as I took the car out of the showroom and was extra cautious about its size while navigating through the traffic to my home. This first drive was more about ensuring safety rather than enjoying the drive. But for the next few days that I drove the car, it started to dawn on me the exact reason why the car seems to shink around the driver. Very quickly I forgot about the bulk and the fact that I was driving a SUV. The driving dynamics was almost car like inspite of the high driving position. Here's a list of what I adored about the 30i and some of its minor irritants.

What I absolutely loved...

1. The absolute hush inside the cabin. The noise insulation was very good in the 20d as well, but this takes it to the next level. You just cannot hear the engine at idle and normal acceleration. Its that good. You do hear it though when you floor the pedal in sport mode, but then that's what you would want, right? It would be rather discomforting to not hear any engine noise when I am in the mood.

2. The acceleration and power build up is smooth and is available on the slightest tap of the pedal. The 20d test drive car had the terrific surge that only a diesel turbo can produce, but that did not come instantly. The 30i on the other hand does not have the surge that pastes you to your seatback, but the power comes much earlier than the diesel and is also very linear in build up. Its deceptively quick and its not difficult to believe BMWs claim of 0 to 100 in 6.3 secs.

A couple of irritants ...

1. The car kinds of rocks back and forth a couple of times after I bring it to a complete stop. At first I thought it was the suspension but an anxious call to the dealer and speaking to the SA calmed me down. It so happens that the auto start/stop shuts off the engine when the car comes to a complete stop, and what I felt was actually a combination of the engine shutting down and the susension settling down. Turning off auto start/stop actually mellowed down the rocking motion significantly. Now the issue is auto start/stop will be on by default in comfort mode and everytime you start the vehicle and you will need to remember to turn it off manually. Of course in sport mode it remains off, but then I drive this car in comfort mode 90% of the time.

2. There are moments when you need to apply the brakes to slow down the car and accellerate again immediately as the slow moving vehicle in front has moved over to the other lane. And there is a very short period of time between the time you release the brakes and press on the accelarator that nothing really happens. Its almost like the car remembers that you had applied the brakes and keeps on doing that for sometime even when you have taken your feet of the brake pedal and pressed down on the accelerator. This might be due to brake assist function, I am not sure. But this is something that I will need to get used to.

Some considerations in the 30i vs 20d dilemma...

1. The difference in price of petrol and diesel have shrunk signficantly. At some point in the past it used to be ~Rs 20, now it is hardly ~Rs 7. This is likely to remain the same or shrink further.

2. My annual usage will be between 9K and 10K as this is my second car and I will mostly use it for weekend trips with the family both within the city and outstation drives. So the higher fuel economy for the diesel was not really a necessity for me. I am getting around 10km/ltr on combined city and highway driving and the dealer tells me it will increase slghtly once the break-in period for the engine is over. I was however worried about range for the long drives. But so far its been good and on highway I can easily get 550Km to 600km range on a full tank.

3. There is a definite push towards petrol especially from the luxury car makers. BMW is definitely pushing petrol cars and so is Audi and the dealer tells me that they will slowly phase out diesel models as the tax structure on large capacity diesel engines are a big constraint on pricing these cars to sell.

Ultimately everyone needs to take the decision on petrol or diesel based on their needs and perceptions. I am definitely glad that I opted for the 30i.

[senna]

Took a test drive of the 30i X3 sportx trim yesterday and was thoroughly impressed with the drive. The average fuel economy for the test drive(some 10-12 odd km) came out to around 11 kmpl. I found this to be good considering I drove in a mix of city and highway conditions and with some spirited bursts in sport mode as well.
The one thing which disappointed me was the lack of under-thigh support in the back seat. I am 5'8" and still felt the support to be a bit inadequate. Though I sat in the back when the car was stationary and for a very short duration. What opinion do you guys have on this ?

Also, the dealer didn't have the vehicle in 20d guise for the testdrive but have one in stock for sale. He also didn't have a 30i for sale but the testdrive vehicle was a 30i. I have to buy the car this month and the confusion is ever increasing.

The cabin in 30i was super silent throughout the drive but I heard some diesel clatter when he started the 20d showroom piece for me(this definitely was more noticeable after the petrol testdrive).

I was also shown the new 5 series in the dealer's stockyard and really liked the car but discarding it due to the low ground clearance as I have to tackle some really bad roads once in a couple of months.

[Sail]

Originally Posted by senna

What opinion do you guys have on this ?

Hi senna,

Under thigh support is really short supply in X3. Rear is more pronounce. Rear passenger has to live with that. I am 6’2’’, for me, under thigh support at driver seat also very short. But I never had any issues even after driving 27 hrs at a stretch.

Real world mileage will differ. In city drives I get between 7.5-8.0. On highways about 11.0. And on highways with spirited driving, occasional sport mode will bring mileage back to 10.5. This is after spending 2.5 years with my 30i.
Recently I poured in two bottles of Proctane EVO Octane booster during my return passage from Kolkata to Gurugram. Got mileage around 12.4. Matter is still under investigation. Will try same on next trip too.

Generally, all BMWs comes with high diesel clatter. You have to live with that. For 30i, NVH level is excellent. However, after 10K odometer there will be slight increase in NVH. (I suspect due to tires).

Back then, I took test drive of 20d & did not liked it, mainly due to late arrival of torque. Happy with 30i, though sudden power bump (from 1450 rpm / for torque) is bit irritating in busy b2b traffic. My suggestion will be, TD other cars also in this segment before coming to conclusions.
For X3, it will always be driver's delight. But, do check other aspects with family members.

Happy shopping.

Can PM me your contacts if want to discuss any further.

Brdgs
Sail

[androdev]

Originally Posted by senna

I have to buy the car this month and the confusion is ever increasing.

Some drivers prefer high-revs + shift at high-revs type of driving offered by petrol engines. They tend to use paddle-shifts often to maintain high revs. They don't care about fuel efficiency. Others hate waiting to build up the revs and prefer high-torque + shift at low-rpms without ruining fuel economy.

Some drivers prefer the refinement of petrol cars and don't mind the low fuel efficiency. Others don't mind the compromise in refinement in favour of a better fuel efficiency. The difference in cabin-refinement is not so significant in luxury car segment.

Which type of driver are you?

Keep in mind that BMW's automatic transmission is one of the best in business and it does a very good job of ensuring all engines perform well in real-world driving. To really appreciate specific engines (30i, 20d, 30d), you will have to be someone with an acquired taste (high-revs, fuel-efficiency, torque-monster).

If you are a regular driver looking for a good premium SUV, you will do fine with any of the engines available. You can take your decision based on the price, colour preferences and options available, etc.

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by senna

The one thing which disappointed me was the lack of under-thigh support in the back seat. I am 5'8" and still felt the support to be a bit inadequate. Though I sat in the back when the car was stationary and for a very short duration.

The width may not be a big issue but the overall position is not comfortable. If you want to get chauffeured, better sit in the front. Diesel will be noisy and is no longer the preferred fuel. NGT thing is real so it takes a big hit on depreciation all across North now especially for the vehicles registered in NCR. You should go ahead with Petrol without any second thoughts if your confusion is just between the engines.

Did you click the pictures of the new 5? Our roads are improving and 5 has a reasonable ground clearance. If you have the budget, do consider 530i.

Originally Posted by Sail

Recently I poured in two bottles of Proctane EVO Octane booster during my return passage from Kolkata to Gurugram. Got mileage around 12.4

I don't think an octane increase in fuel will give such an increase. On the contrary, XP100 gives me lower mileage on my sport cars Needless to mention, it sounds far better so I end up revving much harder.

XP95 will be great fuel for your car. Now easily available, stick with that.

[senna]

Thank you all for taking the time out to read and answer my query.

I should have posted my query with a little backstory, I am posting it now.
We are a small family, my wife, myself and a 10 month old kid. We currently own a creta diesel which has run up abount 50K km and is in good condition mechanically but little squeaks and creaks have started coming up in the doors.
Also, our driving behaviour has also changed significantly due to covid. Earlier it used to be 80% city and 20% highway, now due to us avoiding the public transport we prefer travelling by car, so highway runs have increased quite significantly. Most of the highway runs are to our parents' place(a 7 hour drive). We have started liking road journey over the public transport and this is going to continue even after covid.

I will be the one driving the car and it will not be chauffeur driven in the foreseeable future. Wife and the kid will take the backseat. Therefore wanted something fun to drive(for me) and comfortable for the family. The boot must be decently sized as well.

Unfortunately there are very few options in this segment with the Q5 gone and volvo not introducing its petrol engine in the xc60, what we are left with are X3 and GLC. I am more inclined towards the X3.
Not considering volvo diesel as they are going all petrol/hybrid/electric in the next couple of years and this will impact the spare part availability and repair times.
Not considering JLR as this will be the primary car and reliability is a concern.

Originally Posted by Sail

Hi senna,

Under thigh support is really short supply in X3. Rear is more pronounce. Rear passenger has to live with that. I am 6’2’’, for me, under thigh support at driver seat also very short. But I never had any issues even after driving 27 hrs at a stretch.

Thank you Sail for clearing the air on this. I will be driving most of the time and the front seats were fantastic for my height. The rear will be used by my wife and kid(in a baby seat) so was concerned about it.

Originally Posted by androdev

Which type of driver are you?


If you are a regular driver looking for a good premium SUV, you will do fine with any of the engines available. You can take your decision based on the price, colour preferences and options available, etc.

Sir, I have not driven much premium or fast cars before this and this will be my first luxury car purchase. I really liked the refinement of the petrol, fuel efficiency is also not much of a concern as my typical usage is around 800-1000 km a month.
I would describe myself as a budding petrolhead(thanks to the team-bhp forum)

Originally Posted by Turbanator

The width may not be a big issue but the overall position is not comfortable. If you want to get chauffeured, better sit in the front. Diesel will be noisy and is no longer the preferred fuel. NGT thing is real so it takes a big hit on depreciation all across North now especially for the vehicles registered in NCR. You should go ahead with Petrol without any second thoughts if your confusion is just between the engines.

Did you click the pictures of the new 5? Our roads are improving and 5 has a reasonable ground clearance. If you have the budget, do consider 530i.

I was also inclined towards the petrol even before the test-drive, but want to eliminate all possible doubts before taking the plunge.
Gurgaon has very nice roads so 530i won't be an issue here. The highway to my parent's place is also very smooth for the most part but the last mile connectivity(some 40 odd kms) is a nightmare for a low-slung sedan.
Unfortunately, I did not click any photos of the new 5. Will be going to the dealership again in the next couple of days, will try to click some pictures then.
The new 5 launches on 24th as per my SA and will not have any discounts going on for it initially. That makes X3 with some discounts a bit more value for money.